Gulf Runner 510 Centre Console 2023 Review

Gulf Runner boats are made in Queensland by long-established alloy manufacturer Merlin Marine. The boats were originally a line of Stessco side console tinnies but the name has evolved to become a standalone brand in its own right, featuring car-toppers, side and centre consoles, runabouts and cuddy cabs.

In another big change, you don’t walk into a showroom to buy a Gulf Runner. Instead, if you’re in Sydney you head to outdoor leisure activity chain Anaconda’s Chullora superstore and order one, just like you’d buy an icebox, tent or a fishing rod.

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It’s early days in this new retail experiment, and so a selection of models are on show only in Anaconda’s Adventure HQ superstore in Chullora, Sydney. Plans are in place to expand to other states and territories throughout Australia.

The buying process could not be simpler. If you go to a store and the boat you want isn't there, the maximum wait for one will be about two months, although new stock is coming in all the time.

One of the Gulf Runner models on offer is a centre console called the Gulf Runner 510 CC.

It's a bare-boned fishing boat with sharp pricing and a decent engine hanging off the transom but comes as a blank slate that needs money thrown at it to make it more fishing-friendly. Is the Gulf Runner 510 CC enough boat to convince buyers to take a stab at taking the unconventional path to ownership?

Because the Gulf Runner range of open, runabout, cuddy and centre/side console boats is sold through Anaconda just like a tent or sleeping bag, the price is fixed just like you were buying it off the shelf.

Walk in, and you can either buy the Gulf Runner 510 CC off the floor in Sydney, or at least order it for $49,999. If you happen to be an Anaconda club member the price drops to $46,999, and at the time of writing Anaconda will also give members a $2000 gift card that you can spend on all the safety gear you need to hit the water. 

For the money, you get the Gulf Runner 510 CC already rigged with a 90hp Yamaha F90 FourStroke outboard engine equipped with hydraulic steering, dual digital gauges for speed/fuel use and engine revs, and a cable shift and throttle control.

There is also a fully carpeted floor throughout.

The package comes sitting on a Dunbier single-axle galvanised steel trailer that is set up so that you can drive the boat on and off. A trailer boat catch will be a handy addition if you plan on often using it solo.

Effectively once you’ve bought your safety gear, the Gulf Runner 510 CC is ready to hit the water.

Queensland-based Merlin Marine is the name behind the new Gulf Runner-branded boats sold exclusively via outdoors and adventure brand group, Anaconda. 

The fully welded Gulf Runner 510 CC is made from pressed alloy sheets, with 4.0mm-thick sheets forming the hull, and 3.0mm-thick sheets used for the sides and topsides.

The centre console boat is endowed with good-looking proportions, with a 5.1-metre length and a slim 2.25-metre beam. Up front, a sharp deadrise runs back to a flatter transom, with reversed, exposed chines that deflect spray up front and provide lift aft, subtle lifting strakes and a smooth keel the stand-out features.

The Gulf Runner 510 CC looks a lot like Stessco’s Albacore FS510 centre console built about a decade ago, however with a few tweaks that improve its modern-day appeal.

The slab-sided design of the Gulf Runner yields plenty of interior space, as well as endowing the boat with a decent amount of internal freeboard – good when heading offshore.

The Gulf Runner 510 CC is sold with a 1832cc four-cylinder 90hp Yamaha outboard engine with a 508mm (20-inch) shaft, although we note the runabout version of this boat ups its performance to a 115hp powerplant.

The boat is built with an 80-litre underfloor fuel tank, a bilge pump, a bow mount for a trolling motor, and a folding centre console that drops forward and allows the boat to sneak into a garage while it is on a trailer.

The boat comes with a transom bracket for mounting transducers without the need to drill through the transom. One other thing we really like is a couple of aluminium fairleads low on either side of the transom that make it easy to attach trailer tie-downs.

If you love your fishing and often head out alone, a centre console boat will be high on your wishlist.

This is because the centre console layout allows for 360-degree fishing, meaning you can easily chase a fish as it moves around the boat. 

The boat’s design is simple, with a rotomoulded, self-draining plastic anchor well recessed into a strengthened forepeak, a console that’s wide enough to comfortably protect the skipper, and a deep transom built around the pod for the outboard engine.

In terms of storage, there are a few options, but nothing is hidden away under the floor. The open forepeak can be used to stash fenders and lines, although there’s no way to stop them from bouncing out if you’re traversing a rough patch of water.

There’s more shelved but open storage space below the console, while a large box built under the helm seat can hold a surprising amount of gear out of the weather.

Side pockets run down either side of the cockpit but only extend halfway along the hull – if you’re using single-piece rods, fit a vertical rod holder.

The deep transom houses a plumbed live bait tank to starboard, while the port side is an open recess, not enclosed, for the batteries used for starting the 90hp Yamaha FourStroke outboard engine, running the house electronics and powering the bow-mounted electric trolling motor.

The transom is high and deep, so to access the port-side duck board you’re best sitting on the transom and swinging your legs out from the cockpit. No ladder is fitted, but there are a couple of handholds that help you get back up into the boat.

The boat is built with a low bow rail that feeds the anchor rode towards the bow roller, but leaves enough space to port to fit a trolling motor. There is also a pair of low rails aft that is handy for tying fenders or holding off at a jetty.

The anchor well has a fairlead where you can tie the bitter end, and a cross bollard to tie off. Aft, the transom has a welded cleat on either side. They sit proud, so could snag a fishing line – but on the flip side they’re the only bit of the boat that an angler might cast shade on.

You also get a black rub strip around the gunnels, and the hull can come wrapped in “1770” livery, a nod to the Queensland-based waters that the Gulf Runner range was built to tackle.

The Gulf Runner 510 CC’s helm station is simple by centre console standards, featuring a simple layout that has the added benefit of being able to fold forward so that the boat and trailer can easily be stored in a household garage, or use a boat cover.

The console has a broad, flat surface that’s a good size to flush-mount a smaller chartplotter/fishfinder, but if you’re going to go bigger, a flat surface on top of the console is ideal, and the hollow flip-forward top section makes hiding the wiring a breeze.

The throttle and shift controller on our test boat is mounted on the starboard side of the console, which is a dangerous location for anyone who happens to be sneaking past the skipper while the boat is underway. There is enough room beside the steering wheel to mount it on a binnacle where it’s better protected from accidental WOT applications.

There's nowhere to stash anything in your pockets, so your smartphone will either have to stay there or brave the elements in the exposed console shelf.

The top of the console features a large, flat and tinted screen that protects the skipper from the elements. If two people squeeze in behind the helm, a handrail around its trailing edge provides a point to brace.

Behind the helm is a large, cushion-topped pod just wide enough to house two arses, with a backrest that flips forward so you can use the seats to face aft. The padded seat lifts up to reveal a vast weatherproof storage space.

The seat is high, so if you’re fully seated you’re likely to use the raised edge of the console’s shelf as a footrest.

No T-top is offered, but it will be easy to find an aftermarket option to provide some extra shade and shelter on the water.

The cockpit is relatively small, only 1800mm wide and the same at its deepest point, but once you flip the console seatback forward the space does seem to grow larger. The outboard engine well does protrude significantly, though.

What’s instantly good is the amount of internal freeboard, all 670mm of it. It’s the same depth around the entire boat and gives a good sense of being well-protected from the water.

The side pockets, although short, are raised off the floor so you can get your toes right up to the slab-sided hull and comfortably reach into the water to scoop up a fish, or retrieve a photographer’s hat.

The boat includes a small plumbed live bait tank built into the starboard transom with a Sopac-style hatch.

There are only two plastic rod holders by default, but the wide, fully welded topdecks are ideal for dropping in a few flush-mount ones. Likewise, the metalwork around the outboard engine pod is ideal for dropping in a couple of vertical rod holders to fit a bait board.

If you’re chasing a fish forward, it’s easy to clear the centre console.

We tested the Gulf Runner 510 CC in near-perfect conditions on Sydney Harbour, launching out of Five Ways and exploring some of the hidden waterways around the area.

The 510 CC sits on a narrow hull with a decent waterline. That suggests it should have decent dynamics.

It does. The Gulf Runner 510 CC is a fast, agile, fun boat to punt along, the 90hp Yamaha FourStroke outboard engine humming along quietly and smoothly behind it.

The one criticism you can level at it is it takes a long time to bring the 510 CC’s nose down, particularly when getting up on the plane. Even with the F90 tucked into the transom as far as it will go, the bow still tends to sit proud.

The fix for this is a set of trim tabs that will help level the boat out. The narrow beam of the Gulf Runner 510 CC also means it tends to be quite sensitive to weight distribution, so being able to adjust the trim to suit the load onboard also will be handy.

Performance

Maximum range on 95% of 80L fuel tank: 146nm@4000rpm

The best cruising numbers for the F90 on test, with two people onboard and a fair splash of fuel in the 80-litre tank, comes at 4000rpm. Range at this speed is an admirable 146 nautical miles, so enough for a run out to the shelf and back on a suitable day.

You're not going to fault the Gulf Runner 510 CC on the value front, as you get a lot of trailerable boat for less than a $50,000 outlay. However, it is a basic boat, so the challenge for owners is to kit it out just the way they want it.

Combined with its 90hp Yamaha FourStroke outboard engine it is a fast, efficient package that's fun to punt around.

However, its tendency to pop up the bow and sensitivity to weight distribution means adding a set of trim tabs would help enormously.

Specifications
Length: 5.10m
Beam: 2.25m
Alloy: 4.0mm (bottom)/3.0mm (side)
Length on trailer: 6.4m
Height on trailer: 2.3m (est)
Weight: 490kg (hull only)/882kg (inc. engine)
Engine: 90hp (20-inch)
Fuel: 80L
Passengers: 6

Priced from: $49,999 ($46,999 for Anaconda club members) including bow-mount electric motor bracket; dual transducer brackets; console with windscreen; LED navigation and anchor lights; bilge pump; five-gang switch panel with 12V socket; anchor bollard; bow sprit with roller; carpeted floor; drained bait tank; two rod holders; painted hull; 90hp Yamaha F90 FourStroke outboard engine with Yamaha Y68 digital gauges

Price as tested: $53,888 including Humminbird Helix 12 chartplotter/fishfinder

Supplied by: Anaconda Chullora